Chairman andCEO Garry Neil Drummond died July 13 at the age of 78.Drummond had been with the company for more than 50 years.

"DrummondCompany has lost an exemplary leader and our industry a great visionary.Without his foresight and dedication, our company would not have grown to beone of the world's premiere producers of energy that is it today," saidMike Tracy, president of Drummond's mining division.

Drummondwas a founder of the American Coal Foundation and was the first chairman of theMining and Reclamation Council of America in 1978, which later merged with theNational Coal Association. Drummond also served on the boards of the NationalMining Association and the Alabama Coal Association, according to the companyrelease.